Lions aiming to copy Bok blueprint, says defence coach Erasmus

The Lions are taking a leaf out of the Springboks’ book on how best to balance their attack and defence, according to Lions defence coach Sean Erasmus.

Rassie Erasmus’ Boks were a well-oiled machine at last year’s World Cup in Japan, culminating in their lifting of the Webb-Ellis Cup for the third time.

Erasmus said the Lions coaching team was well aware that the side’s defence was far from the finished product earlier this year during Super Rugby, but he believed they had moved in the right direction ahead of next month’s kickoff of the new local competition.

“I think what the Springboks proved at the World Cup last year is that if you have a great balance between your defence and attack, you are going to be successful,” said Erasmus, who took charge of the Lions’ defence at the start of this last season.

With the local competition set to start next month, and with the Bok players likely to be available, the competition will be tough and Erasmus believed they would have to be on top of their game.

“As attack evolves more and more, I think the Currie Cup or any other local competition will be exciting,” he said.

“I think when things do start up we’ll see a lot of attractive attacking rugby, which means the defending is going to be even more important than before.

Erasmus added that working together in smaller groups – because of Covid and contact restrictions – had its advantages, but he said the players definitely missed the chance to work as a unit on the field to see how they were getting along.

“We are looking forward to resuming action again. We’re excited and I believe the Lions will surprise a few people,” said Erasmus.

There is still no indication from SA Rugby when the new seven-team competition will kick off. It is expected to begin in the second week of October and run into mid-January.

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